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Predicting the 2025 Alabama Football Season: Missouri Tigers Uncertainty

2025-08-04T09:12:19-05:00

Photo by Jason Clark/Getty Images

Eli Drinkwitz lost a lot of talent but picked up a good deal as well.

Installment number five of wild blind dart-throwing predictions takes us out to the north edge of the Ozarks.

GAME 6, OCT 11: MISSOURI TIGERS

Coach: Eli Drinkwitz (38–24, SEC 22-20 thru five seasons at Miz) After his first three seasons of hovering around .500, Drink put together back-to-back double-digit win seasons with bowl wins for the first time since Gary Pinkel did it in 2013-2014. However, Eli faces a huge challenge of rebuilding an offense that lost their QB, top two rushers, and top two receivers. BTW, Pinkel went 5-7 and retired following the 2015 season. An omen?...

2024 Mizz record: 10-3 (5-3 SEC; T-4th; Music City Bowl win over Iowa)

CB 2024 Prediction: 10-2 - correctly predicted losses to TAMU and Alabama, but mistakenly picked the Tigers to top South Carolina.

Looking Back: Mizzou had a smooth start to 2024 reeling off four straight wins against two cupcakes, BC, and then Vandy - all within the friendly confines of Farout Field. Their first road game in Week 5 resulted in a 31-point rout at the hands of Texas A&M. Following two more wins, Alabama shut out the Tigers 34-0. Mizz beat Okie and lost at SC, and then took down MSU and Arky. MU capped the season with a Music City Bowl win over Iowa.

Returning Starters: 3 on offense, 6 on defense, placekicker.

Key Losses: OT Armand Membou (Round 1, Jets), WR Luther Burden (Round 2, Bears), OT Marcus Bryant (Round 7, Patriots), WR Theo Wease (grad), EDGE Johnny Walker (grad), G Cam’Ron Johnson (grad), QB Brady Cook (grad), top 2 leading rushers Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll (grad), DL Kristian Williams (grad), S Joseph Charleston (grad), leading tackler LB Corey Flagg (grad), punter & longsnapper (both grad), former 5-star DL Williams Nwaneri (Nebraska)

Top Returnees: WR/KR Marquis Johnson, LB Triston Newson, S Daylan Carnell (7 PBU), 1st team All-SEC OL Cayden Green, PK Blake Craig (24-34), S Marvin Burks, TE Brett Norfleet (235, 2 TD)

Top Newcomers: QB Beau Pribula (Penn State), EDGE Damon Wilson (UGA), WR Kevin Coleman (xfer Jackson State>Louisville>Mississippi State - 932 yds, 6 TD in 2024), Ahmad Hardy (ULM), WR Xavier Loyd (K-State>Illinois State), 2024 Freshman All-American LB Josiah Trotter (West Virginia), well-traveled S Jalen Catalon (Arkansas>Texas>UNLV), projected starting RG Dominick Giudice (Michigan)

Strengths: Several contributors back on defense... Linebackers... Experienced safeties... Special teams are good... Kicker is on the Lou Groza watch list (FWTW, #StillBitter)... Missing Texas, UGA, LSU, OM, Florida, and Tennessee, plus getting Bama, TAMU, and SC at home...

Weaknesses: Patchwork offensive line could be an issue... WR and RB are downgrades... Getting QB pressure... Corners are a concern... Finding a punter... Who is gonna QB?...

Outlook: Mizzou lost a ton of talent but also picked up some great additions through the transfer portal. Pribula from Penn State was a headline-grabber when Mizzy paid north of $1M for his signature. He was Drew Allar’s back-up for three seasons in Happy Valley. When the Lions’ starter delayed entry into the NFL Draft until 2026, Pribula famously left the team just before PSU’s playoff run. Although a splashy acquisition, reports have it that Prib has not exactly won the QB battle yet as RS-Jr Sam Horn has posed a challenge.

Regarding his signal-callers, Drinkwitz told the media after practice Saturday: “They’ve all done some really good things and some really dumb things.”

[SIDE NOTE: Horn awesomely wears jersey #21 and was recently drafted by the Dodgers in the 17th round.]

Running back Ahmad Hardy (1,351 yds, 13 TD) and wide receiver Xavier Loyd (912 yds, 6 TD) both put up big numbers last season, but it was for ULM and Illinois State respectively. Can these two reproduce that production at the SEC level? Mizz sure seems to be banking on that and their local beat reporters are lapping up the Kool-Aid. Hardy had 30 yards versus Texas and 60 yards against quit mode Auburn in November. Loyd had 4 receptions for 53 yards at Iowa.

The Tigers defense should be acceptable by SEC standards but not great. They were top 20 in scoring defense, passing defense, and total defense in 2024 (though behind several SEC teams in those categories). However, the rushing defense was 45th in FBS and may again be an issue this year.

Missouri Win Total Odds Per FanDuel

Over 6.5 -144 (bet $144 to win $100)
Under 6.5 -160 (bet $100 to win $160)

2025 MISSOURI TIGERS SCHEDULE:

Thu, Aug 28 vs Central Arkansas - W
Sat, Sep 6 vs Kansas - W - The Civil War!
Sat, Sep 13 vs Louisiana-Lafayette - W
Sat, Sep 20 vs South Carolina - W - It feels like SC will not be as good as everyone thinks.
Sat, Sep 27 vs UMass - W
Sat, Oct 11 vs Alabama - L - Mizzy will remember Bama’s late game goal line stand, but it won’t be enough to put them over the top.
Sat, Oct 18 @ Auburn - W - This could easily go the other way, but it feels like Aubie is in for a long season.
Sat, Oct 25 @ Vanderbilt - L - same as SC.
Sat, Nov 8 vs Texas A&M - L - It won’t be as easy this time, but Aggies prevail.
Sat, Nov 15 vs Mississippi State - W
Sat, Nov 22 @ Oklahoma - L
Sat, Nov 29 @ Arkansas - W - Pittman will be out on his arse and the Hogs will be in quit mode.

This will be Mizzou’s 14th season as a member of the SEC and it still feels like they are an outsider. An interloper. A bad fit. Because of this, perhaps there is a little more lack of respect for this football program. This team could get back to double-digit wins. They could also end up with a losing record. More likely, they finish the regular season 7-5.

2025 ALABAMA SCHEDULE PREVIEWS:

Sat, Aug 30 @ Florida State
Sat, Sep 6 vs UL Monroe
at, Sep 13 vs Wisconsin
Sat, Sep 27 @ Georgia
Sat, Oct 4 vs Vanderbilt
Sat, Oct 11 @ Missouri
Sat, Oct 18 vs Tennessee
Sat, Oct 25 @ South Carolina
Sat, Nov 8 vs LSU
Sat, Nov 15 vs Oklahoma
Sat, Nov 22 vs Eastern Illinois
Sat, Nov 29 @ Auburn

Jumbo Package: Guard battle heats up on Day 4

2025-08-04T08:28:31-05:00

Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Your latest Crimson Tide news and notes.

Happy Monday, everyone. Four practices are now in the books. Ryan Williams was caught doing Ryan Williams things.

Just another casual one-hander from Ryan Williams during Alabama practice. pic.twitter.com/lZ7aqdhrc4
— Patrick Greenfield (@PCGreenfield) August 3, 2025

People aren’t ready for this dude with a year of college ball under his belt.

Kalen DeBoer spoke to media yesterday. Lotzeir Brooks and Qua Russaw were both limited in practice, but it sounds like both should be fine.

DeBoer on Lotzeir Brooks’ status…

“It won’t be anything long-term or anything like that. It’ll just be a little bit of recovery here. I don’t know if it’s day-to-day, but it’s not gonna be something that’s extended.”

DeBoer on what he’s seen from Alabama’s quarterbacks…

“I think the biggest thing, practice one was good, two, the installs become more and different things. A lot of it’s still base stuff for the most part that these guys have built on (in) spring, summer. But there’s a couple just missed opportunities, really between receivers, skill guys, and the quarterbacks. I thought the last two practices, those near-misses have now been completions. So, that’s what you like to see, where the plays are getting made, the plays are getting drawn up, there’s execution on a high level somewhere. They either miss the throw, and sometimes maybe there’s an offensive line breakdown of some type or something just a little closer and causing a little bit of distraction for the quarterback, but the last two days have really been better. That’s what you want to see.”

Mbakwe has been spotted exclusively with the receivers during preseason camp so far. Kalen DeBoer was asked about his progress on Sunday, and was complimentary.

“He’s had a couple - more so right now than the summer - Bak’s made some nice plays here,” DeBoer said. “He’s actually gotten practice kicked off in a good way from an offensive standpoint with some big plays early on. So again, growth happening. It’s fun, it’s great to see.”

“The first scrimmage is always very similar probably to where you left off,” DeBoer said. “You are going to get more involved as the week goes on, but just a lot of base stuff. We did some situational work, work, again, further along, critical moments. We’re working clutch already, two-minute today. Something it would have been another practice or two later. Third down, I feel like we’re a bit more dialed in on third down, fourth down situations even already today.”

DeBoer said the first scrimmage will be “a little bit more basic.”

“Feel the need to get some backed up or some goal line in there already, which, a year ago, we probably didn’t push the issue on the goal line stuff in that first scrimmage as much,” DeBoer said. “I think that could be a possibility to run a few more reps. So a lot of the situational work, those critical moments that we know we got to be better at.”

As usual, you can watch the entire press conference below.

One interesting development from camp was on the offensive line, where Geno VanDeMark was seen running with the ones at right guard.

Brailsford described Dewberry as “a mauler” of a guard, “a big dude” standing at 6-foot-4, 332 pounds.

“He’s going to move people,” Brailsford said. “And I definitely like that out of my guards. … He’s smart though. He’s definitely smart. Definitely knows what he’s doing. More than anything, I’d say he’s a mauler.”

Brailsford called VanDeMark “a smart guy” and “technical,” but described him as “a mauler too.”

“When he gets on people, he don’t stop till the whistle’s blown,” Brailsford said. “I like that.”

It was assumed that the battle was at left guard between Dewberry and Geno, but based on this you’d have to wonder if Dewberry has locked down his spot, leaving Geno to compete with Roberts. We will keep an eye on it.

Also, it’s a small thing, but love hearing Brailsford taking ownership of the line by calling them “my guards.” Every great OL has a field general in the middle.

Bruce Feldman put out his annual freaks list, and Kadyn Proctor ranks just behind Jeremiah Smith.

No. 2 Kadyn Proctor, Alabama, offensive tackle

The biggest, by far, of Alabama’s three O-line Freaks, the 6-7, 366-pound Proctor’s body has 274 pounds of lean muscle mass with 26 percent body fat. His strength numbers are awesome. This summer, he squatted 815 pounds, benched 535 and power cleaned 405.

Honestly, I was even more blown away when I found out he vertical jumped 32 inches and broad jumped 9-3. He’s 366 pounds! That 32-inch vertical is as much or more than five of the wideouts who were at this year’s combine. It’s the same as Colorado’s LaJohntay Wester, and he weighed 203 pounds less.

In his first season at Alabama, Proctor started at left tackle and was selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team by the conference coaches. He had his highest-graded performance of the season against Georgia and its top-ranked defense. Last year against Georgia, Proctor earned a 90 percent grade with five knockdown blocks as the Tide didn’t allow a sack all night, per Pro Football Focus. Against South Carolina’s ferocious D-line, Proctor did not allow a sack, pressure or quarterback hit in 63 snaps and posted five knockdowns.

We very much need him to be the monster he was born to be. Win yourself a ring and then go get drafted in the top 3, Kadyn.

Greg Sankey seems to be winning the war against autobids.

There’s “no rift” between Sankey and Petitti, the SEC commissioner said on his conference’s television network last week, but they have “different views.”

The Big Ten, according to multiple reports, might be willing to compromise in favor of a 5+11 playoff if the SEC and ACC add another conference game and join the Big Ten and Big 12 in playing nine conference games.

That’s a fine wish, but the Big Ten lacks the muscle to force another conference to change its schedule. Sankey would like the SEC add a ninth conference game, but his membership has resisted his preference.

The Big Ten played its playoff hand, but it lacked the cards to win the bet.

“You always want to have a really good set of cards,” Sankey said. “You want to have a good hand to play, right? I think we have the best hand.”

Nate Oats hired an Alabama great to his staff.

“I think he relates really well with the guys in the program,” Oats continued. “He’s got a great mind for basketball, along with his servant’s heart, which is what we’re looking for. It’s a bonus that he was one of the best all-time players to come out of Alabama basketball history. But we’re not hiring former players not willing to work and make the program better, and he’s proven over the last two years he’s willing to do what it takes to be a great coach. So we’re happy to have Erwin in the program.”

Last, the Netflix SEC documentary comes out tomorrow.

SEC Football: Any Given Saturday, a Netflix Sports series offering an exclusive look at key matchups throughout the SEC season, premieres August 5.

Witness the unparalleled pressure, commitment, and raw emotion it takes to be a D1 football player in college football's leading… pic.twitter.com/qY62OaKqvT
— Netflix (@netflix) July 14, 2025

That’s about it for today. Have a great week.

Roll Tide.

Jumbo Package: Ryan Grubb speaks after Day Two

2025-08-01T09:06:09-05:00

Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images

Your latest Crimson Tide news and notes.

Happy Friday, everyone. In case you want to start marking your calendars, Emilee Smarr has put together Alabama basketball’s non-conference schedule as of today for you. Of course, football is next on the horizon and fall camp is two days old.

Nick Kelly put together some practice observations.

— No real changes to the quarterback race. Ty Simpson still appeared to be going first in drills, with Austin Mack, then Keelon Russell following him.

— Kam Dewberry appeared to be mixing in more with the first offensive line group at left guard. The Texas A&M transfer is competing for the position with Geno VanDeMark, who was also taking reps with the first team.

— Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack helped outside linebackers coach Christian Robinson with his group during the seventh period.

— The defensive linemen took turns on the sled, under Freddie Roach’s tutelage. Roach shouted out Florida transfer Kelby Collins after one rep, then paused to help another newcomer, Steve Bolo Mboumoua with his technique.

Colin Gay has a few notes for you as well.

Alabama defensive line focuses on explosion off line of scrimmage

Most of the work for Alabama’s interior defensive line Thursday was on the sleds, working on stance and power and that initial contact at the line of scrimmage. Steve Bolo Mboumoua, a junior college transfer, got tips from Florida transfer Kelby Collins, who called the freshman to “stop playing with that.” Edric Hill, the redshirt sophomore who’s garnered ample praise this offseason, got continued praise from Alabama defensive line coach Freddie Roach from his explosion onto the sled. James Smith also dominated sleds on defensive line reps.

Here is big James destroying that sled.

SEC quarterbacks aren’t going to like Alabama DL James Smith. #CollegeFootball #RollTide #BamaFactor pic.twitter.com/x5H2iniMOf
— The Bama Standard Network©️ (@TheBamaStandard) July 31, 2025

It was Ryan Grubb’s turn to speak to media. Here is some insight from the new OC.

Formby will have the least game experience among starters on a veteran offensive line. But his readiness to step into a larger role has been evident to Grubb. And he’s a different-looking player, as well.

“He had a good spring and played through some injuries. He’s getting healthy now. He’s a smart player and he’s learning how to play with the strength that he’s acquired,” Grubb said. “I think he’s a much more physical player than he was last year. He did a ton of work with (strength coach David) Ballou as far as changing his body type.”

Ty Simpson, the eldest quarterback and the one with the most experience, continues to “show a ton of command,” Grubb said, even highlighting that Simpson “did a better job today than the other two guys with that.”

Keelon Russell, Grubb said, has a keen ability to “see the field.”

“Just his vision, his innate ability to make a play even potentially when there’s not one there, is a really, really high level,” Grubb said.

And Austin Mack, Grubb said, has “elite arm talent,” and is “a big guy that’s strong and can power through things.”

Grubb has not been shy about who he feels is the leader in the race. After A-Day, the Alabama offensive coordinator said if the Crimson Tide were to play a game that next day, Simpson would be the starter. That same refrain has been repeated multiple times by DeBoer throughout the offseason heading into fall.

Grubb said the same thing July 31, saying Simpson needs to show that consistency “every day, between now and Florida State.”

Following Alabama’s second practice of fall camp on Thursday morning, Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb was asked what his ideal timeline would be for naming a starting quarterback.

“Yesterday. Yesterday, if I’m being honest,” Grubb joked. “But you’ve got to let it run its course. It’s not there yet, and we’ve been through this before, more than once and you’ve just got to let it run its course. We’ve got a pretty detailed plan on how we’ll figure those things out and information that we share with the guys every day, and when it’s the right time, we’ll be ready to pull the trigger.”

Back in May, head coach Kalen DeBoer described an ideal timeline that would indicate a starter being named before game week,

“There’s been roughly a similar kind of timeframe throughout fall camp,” DeBoer told Greg McElroy on his podcast. “The last week and a half, you want – we usually have a little bit longer of a phase of game (week), we call them ‘bonus practices,’ leading up to Week 1, and there’s a weekend before and then a few days before that.

ON THE RUNNING BACKS:

They all have different skillsets. Jam, again another one of our leaders on the football team. Jam is a super smart player, good hands out of the backfield. Really physical, he’s running strong at 220 right now. Good top-end speed. Daniel is your bigger back downhill, Richard’s that kind of guy. Dre Washington is a guy who’s really showed up the first few days. I was really impressed with his vision.

I think the big thing, they all have their style of running that they are good at. I think the pass protection, the consistency and understanding their rules and things like that, I think everybody’s playing catch-up to Jam. Making sure those guys come along and get there. Coach G does a phenomenal job getting those running backs ready for that.

The palpable difference this season is that the team isn’t young in any position group. This is a stark contrast from this time last season, when Alabama had two freshmen running first in the secondary and at right tackle, redshirt freshman Qua Russaw running a 50/50 split at the “Wolf”, and superstar freshman WR Ryan Williams passed everyone on the depth chart to become 1/1A with transfer Germie Bernard.

Fast forward to this season and those guys are all a year older. Alabama just had its lightest NFL Draft class in years, and a depth chart littered with upperclassmen throughout is evidence of that. Even the critical QB position is likely filled by a fourth-year player, albeit one with very little game experience. Lotzeir Brooks is this year’s freshman camp sensation at WR, but he is going to find the path to playing time very difficult considering the depth of talent in front of him.

It really is going to come down to the offensive line and quarterback for this squad. We’re now 30 days away from seeing what it looks like.

Last, look what day it is: Auburn’s Merry Flipmas!

“I’m here to tell you, we’re gonna do this the right way,” Cohen told reporters on July 2 before an AMBUSH alumni event in Alexander City.

Cohen was alluding to the idea that other schools may not be following the new rules of the settlement. He hinted at schools throwing out unrealistic numbers to recruits in verbal offers, something he said Auburn wasn’t going to do.

In that same breath, Cohen told reporters that Aug. 1 would be a big day for the long-term success of Auburn’s recruiting. That’s the day that those verbal offers can start going into writing, a chance for schools to put their money where their mouth is, so to speak.

They have to be so excited.

That’s about it for today. Have a great weekend.

Roll Tide.

Tapped Out: Alabama football games have become largely unaffordable to most people

2025-07-31T11:30:39-05:00

Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images

And the university can only blame itself

It has been a while since we have checked in on the rapacious pricing of Alabama football games. And despite the Tide’s more modest success of late, and Greg Byrne outsourcing everything for a quick buck, the costs have not grown more forgiving. No, in fact, Alabama had the second highest rise in cost of attendance this year.

And, across all tiers of service, attendance at an Alabama game is now the second most expensive college football environment in the country, behind only Colorado.

Average college gameday cost: $184.67 for 2 people (+2.7% YoY)
Most expensive: Colorado ($302), Alabama ($295) and Texas ($292).

In the case of the Crimson Tide, real pricing rose 17.6% between 2023 and 2024. And in year over year costs, attendance at an Alabama game costs 60% more now than it did in just five years ago.

But even that quoted figure of $295 per person greatly undersells the expense — that is only the face value of tickets, school-supplied parking, a soda and a hotdog.

In real dollars, of course, you can almosy certainly double that for an SEC game or OOC opponent of note.

If you do not have season tickets, you can bank on spending $400 to literally thousands for a pair of seats at a game in Bryant Denny.

And, no, you probably can’t afford even nosebleed season tickets now either, with the Crimson Tide also having the second most expensive ones in the country.

Season tickets in the upper deck of the South end zone will probably run you and the Missus $4000+ a year.

The median household income in the United States is $61,197…gross. And, in Alabama, it far lower: $52,095. Now, perhaps you are in a financial position where season tickets will not work a financial hardship. But most people do not have the luxury of tossing 5, 10% or more of their entire annual wealth on just seats.

Thinking about going a cheaper route, maybe catching an Alabama basketball game? Single tickets there are every bit as expensive as football now — and then some.

What about Fan Day / Running of the Gumps? Hold onto into your wallet, because Alabama has its hand out for that one too.

As you know, once prices go up, they never lower again. Priced out, tapped out, the turnip bled dry, that is the new status quo.

But when university administrators pass the hat three or four times a year, citing urgent financial need, they are going to find increasingly reticent donors — and too many families who know that it is the trip of a lifetime now just to attend a game at a taxpayer funded state university.

Greed killed this golden goose, and it will erode (if not destroy) the once-middle class right of passage, where families passed their love of the game onto their children.

Enjoy your LED light shows and million dollar administrator salaries. Nothing is ever sacred when you view something larger than yourself as a mere business — it all becomes profane.

Jumbo Package: Notes from first fall camp practice

2025-07-31T09:38:02-05:00

Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images

Your latest Crimson Tide news and notes.

Happy Thursday, everyone. Football practice is upon us! Some notes from the head man’s first press conference of fall camp are below.

DeBoer on Deontae Lawson…

“His trajectory is going up. Deontae, his leadership is the thing. I think that’s really come out, so that’s exciting. He is gonna be limited, and just the number of reps, the volume – I guess the best way to put it – and what he can take, as expected. And that was gonna be the plan, just with his timeline from the beginning. But it’s great having him out there. I think he feels really good about being out there. Mentally and physically, I think he’s in a really good spot. But there’s still progress to be made as we build for the first game.”

Russell got far less reps with the first-team in spring, largely due to how inexperienced he was within the offense. However, DeBoer said his staff was expecting improvement from him.

“Probably Keelon’s gonna be the one that you’re gonna see the biggest jump, naturally,” DeBoer said. “And I feel like that was good. I mean, he’s making quick decisions and not sitting there thinking too much.”

DeBoer said earlier in the offseason that he would like to have a starter in place a week-and-a-half before UA’s season-opener at Florida State. That game is scheduled for Aug. 30 in Tallahassee.

DeBoer highlighted Simpson for thriving in the offense by connecting on the “gimme” throws: short passes that maybe aren’t as exciting but are needed to keep the drives going.

“I think Ty, we’ve talked about all the quarterbacks, but just the gimme, the ones that are just should be 100% making those plays all the time,” DeBoer said. “And I really felt like he did that. He got probably more opportunities just because of the way the plays developed. To have more of those gimmes, and those gimmes add up. Gimmes are five-yard gains that turn into 15 and 20, and sometimes explosives. And they keep the chains moving.”

No matter which quarterback gets the starting job, DeBoer is happy with the direction the position is heading in.

Everyone wants to talk about the quarterbacks, but three weeks is a pretty short time to try and supplant a dude who has been the clear leader thus far. It’s good to hear that Lawson is on the right track as he will be a huge piece to the puzzle for this defense. They should be able to handle Florida State without him if needed, and in fact Justin Jefferson’s speed would likely come in quite handy against a run first QB. Get Deontae back and ready for SEC play, and we’ll be happy.

You can listen to the entire presser below.

Matt Stahl noticed Geno running first at left guard.

— No surprises in the quarterback battle. Ty Simpson went first in drills, followed by Austin Mack, then Keelon Russell. Crimson Tide coaches have said that Simpson leads the way in the race, and would start if the season started after spring practice.

— During offensive line drills, Geno VanDeMark appeared to be running with the first group at left guard. Kam Dewberry, who transferred in from Texas A&M this offseason, was going second. Those two are battling for the starting job during preseason camp, replacing Tyler Booker.

Chase and Colin have some more practice notes for you from the Tuscaloosa News.

Alabama football has full tight end room once again

After a spring where Alabama had to add offensive lineman William Sanders to its tight end room due to a lack of available bodies, the Crimson Tide seemed to work with a full room at the start of fall camp, including Marshall Pritchett — the freshman who was out for spring with an injury — and newly-enrolled freshman Kaleb Edwards. Transfers Brody Dalton (Troy) and Jack Sammarco (West Virginia) took pass-catching reps with Mack and Russell, respectively.

With the weapons Alabama has outside, defenses are likely to leave plenty of room available for this group.

Is this Keon Keeley’s year?

Keeley will play a new position in 2025, moving from outside linebacker to strongside defensive end. He won’t start at that spot, however. That role belongs to star Alabama edge LT Overton. But he should at least emerge as part of the rotation for an Alabama front that lacks proven pass rushing production. If he can’t … Keeley begins to track toward the bust label every five-star recruit hopes to avoid.

Tank Jones announces his decision this afternoon, and all of us here at RBR are rather skeptical that he stays home.

Alabama: “We came back up there and everything was still consistent,” his father told BamaOnLine. “There wasn’t anything different. There isn’t anything that is forced. They let you be yourself. You are not just coming in there trying to be someone you aren’t. … They want you to be there because you want to be there. It’s more about family and just keeping in touch with each other. It’s nothing glamorous, and not for the money. If you want to be here the door is open. You like it better than how some of these other schools approach it as they’ll just try to throw anything at you.”

May we prove to be curmudgeonly old cynics, but based on his comments it sure seems like Oregon and A&M are offering him a bag that Alabama won’t come close to matching.

Alabama football will be losing a longtime staffer.

Ellis Ponder, the UA associate athletics director for strategic operations, is leaving the Crimson Tide in August and will be joining super agent Jimmy Sexton at CAA, sources with knowledge of the hire told AL.com.

Ponder joined the Alabama football staff starting in 2015. By the end of his tenure, he became a deputy to Saban as Ponder rose to associate AD and football chief operating officer. Prior to that, Ponder served as football director of operations in 2017. During an earlier stint at Alabama, Ponder was a student assistant in the equipment room from 2006 through 2011. In between the two stints at Alabama, Ponder was an event director for Bruno Event Team in Birmingham.

Last, Greg Byrne has made some waves pushing non-conference SOS as a key playoff metric.

Starting this year, through 2034, Alabama has two games scheduled per season against either Power Four non-conference opponents or Notre Dame. Adding playoff selection value specific to non-conference metrics might therefore accelerate Alabama in bubble situations.

But, shouldn’t we want teams to follow Alabama’s lead of seeking out challenging non-conference opponents, rather than ducking Power Four opponents in favor of Austin Peay?

To Byrne, the answer seems obvious.

“Good non-conference games are really good for college football,” Byrne said.

Rewarding teams that play good non-conference games would help ensure those games remain part of college football’s future.

Should be common sense.

That’s about it for now. Have a great day.

Roll Tide.

Jumbo Package: Expect FSU, Gus Malzahn to test ‘Bama’s interior with Castellanos’ mobility

2025-07-30T08:23:14-05:00

Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images

And unless the Tide has gotten a lot better against running quarterbacks, they’ll make some hay too.

Happy Gump Day, folks. Let’s dive into some preseason football. It’s a slow one today, as we are at the deep breath before the plunge — fall camp opens in today. So, all’s quiet on the West-Central Front for a few more hours.

—

Preseason Awards watch lists dropped yesterday, and ‘Bama was represented well on them:

Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List chose “60 defensive standouts as contenders for the national defensive player of the year.” The Tide’s to-watch list were Tim Keenan, LT Overton (who I think is poised for a big season), and Deontae Lawson. Lawson would have been a much stronger contender to me if we knew how he was going to play after injury. The physical skills are there, but mentally trusting your body again is often the hardest part.

Outland Trophy Watch list: “Two programs – Alabama and Oregon – have three members on the list spread across their offensive line. Each program has had an Outland Trophy winner within the last six seasons. Alabama, which has the lone returning FWAA All-American in center Parker Brailsford, also has guard Jaeden Roberts and offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor.”

‘Bama’s offensive line was also named on the Joe Moore watchlist, and Hollywood earned a preseason Maxwell nod. Interesting point about the last one: Ryan Williams and Jeremiah Smith are the only two players from OSU/Alabama on the Maxwell list, but are also early Heisman favorite. In the Buckeyes case, it’s the deep rebuild in Columbus. In ‘Bama’s case, it just seems to be a lack of regard for guys like Miller and Bernard. And, of course, both have huge question marks under center.

In terms of rowdiness, Alabama’s Bryant Denny Stadium ranked 8th on most intimidating environments in CFB. And that’s fair. It’s simply not very hostile very often. There are other things that make it difficult: the least of which is the weight of history that bears down on visitors, and which the Alabama game day presentation folks do their best to amplify. LSU came in first, of course (though I would say that a game at a packed Neyland Stadium is far more hostile than Death Valley, and Jordan Hare lies on a cursed Indian burial site).

But, if we’re being honest, no one in America actually knows what an aggressive audience actually looks like. Don’t believe me? Here’s a regular season basketball game in Serbia. It can and does get much more hostile for soccer and their meaningful national matches.

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America has customers. Its aggression comes from sheer numbers and occasional beer muscles.

Europe has fans, where that aggression arises from being nutty rednecks with hundreds of years of ethnic strife...often with some historical ethnic cleansing or imperial slaughter thrown in there.

New FSU OC, Gus Malzahn, took to YouTube yesterday to discuss the ‘Noles forthcoming season, as well as the challenge that playing Alabama presents. The unspoken bottom line here seems to be “we’re going to be conservative, RTDB, and force them to beat us up front...but also get ready for a few kitchen sink plays.”

Castellanos’ very average arm is a ghastly matchup vs. the Tide secondary. But, given ‘Bama’s struggles against running QBs, and his size that makes it easy to get lost in space, Castellanos could pose serious problems on the ground. Last year, running quarterbacks teed off on Alabama’s miserable interior rushing defense.

Too harsh? I don’t think you realize how truly bad it was:

Jackson Arnold (25/131 2 TDs);
Nico Iamaleava (9/44, 57% 3D conversion rate);
Diego Pavia (6 1D on 20 carries, 50% 3rd down rushing conversion);
Byrum Brown (107 yards, 4.7 YPC);
Payton Thorne (10 carries, 4.2 YPA, 50% 3rd down rushing conversion).

The only mobile QB who wasn’t able to have success? Ironically, it’s the true “running quarterback,” LaNorris Sellers. So, given ‘Bama’s dubious body of work last season, and lack of demonstrable upgrade on the interior, he has a reason to be somewhat confident that FSU can find some room to run the ball from under center.

The wildcard of course is the FSU offensive line. Charitably, it was a hot mess last season. But with a new scheme and a very competent, experienced OLC, who worked with Malzahn for almost 20 years, I don’t think ‘Bama fans can put their eggs in this basket.

No, it’s going to have to be won up front.

We got some quality dumbassery today from Goodman: Ripping off Spurrier’s talking points. Rehashing some Bill Connelly. And then Barner convenient amnesia that acts as though Nick Saban came to Tuscaloosa and won big immediately:

The glory days of Alabama quarterback gold ended with Bryce Young, and there is no proof that Simpson is good enough to lead Alabama back to the College Football Playoff. Times change. This preseason, the best quarterbacks in the SEC are at Texas, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Florida.

The biggest questions are at Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee.

I like the idea of rewarding loyalty in today’s college football. No one wants a sport of mercenaries, but, like it or not, that’s the game. Simpson has been waiting his turn at Alabama for four years. If he struggles in the first half at FSU, then he’s done.

If Alabama loses at FSU, then DeBoer might be done, too.

Not to compare DeBoer and the GOAT, but Saban didn’t need his own quarterback to win his first national championship at Alabama.

Quarterback Greg McElroy was a Mike Shula recruit, but that was a different era of college football. Alabama won the championship for the 2009 season with a strong defense and a devastating running game. McElroy didn’t even throw a touchdown pass in the national championship game against Texas.

Alabama went 7-6 in Nick Saban’s first year, including what was arguably the worst loss of the last half-century: La-Monroe. DeBoer didn’t lose to a team below .500, nor to a non-conference opponent. All three losses were true SEC road games, two of which were contests at Norman and Neyland. And this came after Alabama lost its entire coaching staff, its new OC, and 47 players in two rounds of portal departures in just six weeks.

Football season must be close, if Goodman is dusting off his Great Value Scarbinksy brain rot.

Worth a chuckle, at least.

Interesting Nate Oats interview here with Seth Davis. We tend to think of Oats having a firm “No midrange jumper” diktat. But it’s not that simple. Analytics are meant to be applied to the course of a game — generally threes are better value propositions. But in-game moments will determine what is the best shot at the time of the shot.

It’s why Mark Sears’ floater in Auburn was actually the preferred shot for Oats’ crew over a perimeter attempt. And that shot selection is part of the culture baked in at Alabama. It’s not all tempo and YOLO, as it may seem from outside.

Want better shots?

Start with better standards.@Nate_Oats breaks it down here — no wonder Alabama’s culture is one of the best in the country. pic.twitter.com/5o5d5oVzNp
— James Purchin (@JamesPurchin) July 23, 2025

Oh, god. Talk analytics to me baby.

—

And, finally, I leave you with some levity. How does the prospect of real-life Mario Kart in the jungles of Vietnam sound? No attorneys. No guard rails. No “safety standards.”

Just all the aggression and ruined friendships you can handle. Adding this one to my bucket list.

Low key a death race pic.twitter.com/nfZAsScnlv
— NRM84 (@Mappy6984) July 29, 2025

We’ll be back later. For now, have a great day and Roll Tide.

Jumbo Package: Scott Cochran opens up about addiction struggles

2025-07-29T08:00:00-05:00

Photo by Scott Donaldson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Alabama’s former strength coach gives a long interview about his life and career so far

While the recruiting news cooled off after that crazy run at the start of July, there’s still one major recruit that Alabama is vying for:

On Monday at Mobile County media day, Jones sat down to answer questions as St. Paul’s Episcopal looks to make waves on the gridiron this fall. With his college decision clearly looming, Jones made it known that a decision is coming “either this week or next week.”

“Getting those text messages and stuff, it’s getting kinda stressful now,” Jones said. “Commitment coming up soon, so I’ve just been day-by-day, grinding, keeping my head down, staying humble.”

While Alabama continues to trend in the Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine, a Monday update from Rivals’ Chad Simmons isn’t ruling out Oregon or Texas A&M, either. Jones has kept his cards close to the vest this spring and summer, making for one of the more intriguing recruitments of the cycle.

Tank Jones is a guy that the analysts have struggled to pin down. Alabama, Oregon, and Texas A&M are the three schools, and it kind of seems like a match of the hometown favorite vs. the two teams with the biggest paychecks. Alabama already has one 5-star edge rusher in the class, so Jones would be a pure luxury. Still, you can never have too many 5-stars.

Miller also addressed him taking on more of a leadership role upon deciding to come back.

“Last year, for me I didn’t really step up as I should have being an older guy, but now I know the road I gotta take,” he said. “I gotta take it up a whole other level to bring all the guys together and make sure that we’re all on the same page.”

Jam Miller’s first season as a starter was a bit underwhelming. Still, he was in an offense that was fully routed through a QB running attack and plenty of dysfunction on the OL, so we likely didn’t see anywhere close to his real potential. Here’s to hoping he’s able to make a big jump in his second year.

With NFL training camps kicking off, we’re starting to get some tidbits. Check out this interview from the Eagle’s head coach, Nick Sirriani:

How a conversation between Nick Sirianni and DeVonta Smith led to a new wrinkle at Eagles practice pic.twitter.com/t7klZgeb9E
— Geoffrey A Knox 'GQ' (@GQ_4_Eva) July 28, 2025

While he didn’t go into specifics, essentially he said DeVonta Smith and the other Alabama guys taught him about a type of contested catch drill that he’s now adapted to tackling and other drills for fundamentals. Essentially - be great at the normal things. And if that’s not a continuation of Nick Saban’s legacy, I don’t know what is.

Meanwhile, Jalen Milroe is quickly becoming the talk of the camp in Seattle

Jalen Milroe’s performance and more we learned at Seahawks training camp

On Thursday, two rookies who showed signs of emerging were quarterback Jalen Milroe and receiver Tory Horton.

Milroe, a third-round pick out of Alabama, continues to run the third offense almost exclusively during team drills with Sam Darnold with the starters and Drew Lock the backups, which means typically going against the third-team defense.

Evidence the game may be slowing down for Milroe came on a few completions he made during 11-on-11 sessions Thursday. One example was hitting fullback/tight end Brady Russell on a seam route downfield. Another time, he fired over the middle to rookie receiver Tyrone Broden.

Late in practice Milroe rolled to his right and spotted rookie receiver Ricky White III open on the sidelines about 25 yards downfield. Milroe threw a pass that White dived for and corralled.

That didn’t appear to be good enough for Milroe as he seemed miffed he hadn’t hit White in stride. So, Milroe immediately dropped and did about 10 pushups as apparent self-punishment.

I’d guess that we see Jalen Milroe get at least a few starts this year.pic.twitter.com/VT8CZbmqnG
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) July 27, 2025

Good stuff. Here’s to hoping Milroe can piece it all together and become a NFL starter in the future.

Finally, check out this mini documentary and long interview from AL.com on Tide coaching legend, Scott Cochran, and his struggles with addiction.

It’s a great video with Cochran really detailing his background and life story, which is cool to hear after all these years. If you have time, give it a listen.

Roll Tide!

2025 Alabama Fall Football Preview: Offensive Line Depth Chart

2025-07-29T06:45:00-05:00

Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images

The top six Crimson Tide offensive linemen average 327.5 pounds. And that is with an “undersized” center.

At the SEC Media Days earlier this month, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer made a rather definitive statement concerning the offensive line.

“The offensive line is where it really starts. Really six guys that are strongly in the rotation with a lot of others that are up-and-coming, developing quickly, that I can see competing for spots as the season goes along as well.”

With three returning starters who are unlikely to be unseated during fall camp, that leaves two other positions to fill. According that statement, one of those two is filled and the other is a position battle among two players. It seems pretty clear who those candidates are. But there is no time for complacency. Offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic, now in his second season at the Capstone, has plenty of offensive line talent on this roster who will push for playing time.

DEPARTED

STARTERS

LG Tyler Booker - No. 12 overall pick of the Dallas Cowboys.
RT Elijah Pritchett - Transferred to Nebraska, projected starting left tackle.

RESERVES

Naquil Betrand - Came in from Texas A&M and did not even make it through September. Transferred to Syracuse and looking like back-up LT.
Miles McVay - Buried in the depth chart at Bama, he is now at UNC as the projected back-up LT.

RETURNING

FULL-TIME STARTERS

#74 - LT Kadyn Proctor (Jr. 6’ 7’’/366, 24 career starts) - From the day this Iowa native gave his pledge to sign with the Crimson Tide, he was tabbed as a future great in a long line of Alabama offensive line greats. Now in his third season at the Capstone, the pressure is on for him to have that All-American season followed by having his name called on Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft as some are projecting for him. His ginormous size and talent has always been there, but he always seemed kind of young and raw. A guy cannot get by on just power. He will need to hone his technique especially in one-on-one situations to become the elite blocker that he has potential to be. One knock is that on occasion he tends to not put in full effort. He only gave up three sacks a season ago. However on those plays, he didn’t look like he got beat. It was more being a little “sluggish” on certain plays. That kind of effort also causes him grab outside his frame at edge rushers when feeling threatened, which can lead to him being flagged for holding calls. That said, those instances are few and far between. Proctor has potential to have an outstanding year of clamping down the left side and propel this Tide team to great things.

Big J.. Breaking records squatting 900lbs at Bama! Stay ready, so you don’t have to get ready! Roll Tide yall! @jaeden_kings @DJTheWarrior76 pic.twitter.com/yrAw0l1jkS
— Twanisha_❤️Mom (@riley_twanisha) July 21, 2025

77 - RG Jaeden Roberts (R-Sr., 6’ 5’’/327, 22 career starts) - As one of the most experienced linemen on the roster, this Texan will be tasked with anchoring the right side of the line as well as mentoring the new starter to his right. It is pretty evident that he has really dedicated himself to getting stronger. Here is hoping that he is working on his quickness as well. Roberts can absolutely maul defenders in run game blocking but has some limitations in space and in lateral movement. The Kalen DeBoer-Ryan Grubb offense relies heavily on getting to the second level. The ability to get a large body moving is an asset. If Roberts can improve his agility, the sky is the limit.
#72 - Parker Brailsford (R-Jr., 6’ 2’’/290, 15 starts at UW, 13 for the Tide) DeBoer brought Brailsford with him from Washington and instantly had a No. 1 center. Perhaps one of the most underappreciated linemen in the nation, Brailsford recorded 63 knockdown blocks and allowed just half a sack on the year. It seems some analyses want to discount him because of his size. However, he is about the same size as overexposed former Philadelphia Eagle All=Pro Jason Kelce and the Dolphins’ starting center Aaron Brewer. Admittedly, being underweight can be an issue when going one-on-one with monster nose tackles of the SEC. One thing he cannot do anything about is arm length. Despite those deficiencies, he is a smart player who is good at identifying stunts and late blitzers. He has excellent instincts and excels in zone-blocking.

RESERVES WITH STARTS

#56 - Geno VanDeMark (R-Sr., 6’ 5’’/326, 8 starts with Sparty, 2 with Bama) VanDeMark transferred from Michigan State before last season and played a critical role as the number one off the bench to relieve interior linemen. He recorded one start at left guard and one at right guard while also taking snaps as the back-up center. Although a non-starter, he certainly has plenty of experience. VDM played 37 snaps off the bench at Tennessee, 32 against LSU, and 45 versus Auburn. He is in the mix to fill the big shoes of Booker at left guard.

Remember the USF game? Lots of “fans” left the redshirt freshman Wilkin Formby out in the cold? Look at him now. His future is so bright what a block here and he’s so fired up!!! pic.twitter.com/jiIVerysxd
— Im a writer (@JayJDONDA) November 10, 2024

#75 - Wilkin Formby (R-So., 6’ 7’’ 324, 2 starts RT) - It’s deja vu all over again. This time a year ago, it appeared that the Tuscaloosa redshirt freshman would would be the man at right tackle. He started the first two games against Western Kentucky and USF but struggled against the Bulls when he allowed five pressures, a sack, and had four holding penalties. Elijah Pritchett took over as the starter but Formby continued to get snaps through out the year. Near the end of the season, Pritchett was showing signs of checking out. Formby played 45 snaps against Mercer and showed such a marked improvement that he joined a rotation with Pritchett over the last two games against Auburn (37 snaps) and Michigan (44 snaps). Over those final three games, he did not allow any sacks or quarterback hits, and just as importantly did not commit any penalties. The staff was also impressed with his work during spring camp and if you believe DeBoer’s quote at the top of this post, it looks like Formby is locked into the right tackle spot when the Tide lines up against the Seminoles in Tallahassee. Frankly, it seems a bit presumptuous with fall camp having not even commenced.

OTHER RETURNING RESERVES

The below returning players are not likely to beat any of the above guys out for a starting role this fall. But it is a vital developmental year for each them to prove that they could fill the potential holes for the 2026 campaign. Roberts and VanDeMark are both in their final season of eligibility. Proctor is likely off to the NFL after the season and Brailsford might join him.

#73 - Olaus Alinen (R-So., 6’ 6’’ 322) - Played in all 13 games in 2024, mostly special teams. He may be the first to enter a game at tackle as a substitute.
#55 - Roq Montgomery (R-So., 6’ 3’’ 330) - Has played guard and center as well as being a regular on special teams. He could be the No. 2 center.
#74 - Casey Poe (R-Fr., 6’4’’ 322) - Played in two games.
#70 - William Sanders (R-Fr., 6’3’’ 308) - Two games.
#69 - Joseph Ionata (R-Fr., 6’5’’ 306) - Two games.

NEWCOMERS

TRANSFERS

Texas A&M often could not get a yard when it needed it last season. This season? The Aggies are 15 of 16 on runs with two or fewer yards to go that are converted for a first down or TD.

An easy conversion here with six OL (including Kam Dewberry) and three TEs in the game. pic.twitter.com/8WtBT5Io2T
— Carter Karels (@CarterKarels) September 19, 2024

#71 - OL Kam Dewberry (Sr. 6’4’’/332) - At Texas A&M, Dewberry started five games as a freshman and then three as a sophomore with 465 snaps. Although he did not start last year, he played 261 snaps, seeing action at left guard (160 snaps), right guard (85) and center (nine). He has been getting a great deal of positive talk about his performance as he battles with veteran VanDeMark for the starting job at left guard. Of Dewberry, CBS Sports columnist Matt Zenitz commented, “I’ve had multiple scouts bring him up unprompted. They could ultimately see him being someone who not only gets drafted next year, but could end up being a top-three round guy. That was not feedback that I was expecting to get on somebody who did not even start at Texas A&M last year.” Mike Elko’s misstep is Alabama’s gain.
#76 - OL Arkel Anugwom (R-So. 6’ 6’’/328 (Antioch, TN) - This Ball State transfer is still relatively new to football having moved to Tennessee from Nigeria. He did not even have a 247sports profile for the 2023 class until the Cardinals signed him. He already has the size, but will be a project.

FROSH

Bama has four freshmen from the 2025 recruiting class.

#64 - Michael Carroll (6’ 6’’/321, Doylestown, PA/IMG) - This 5-star is expected to be the next big thing. There is no reason to think that will not happen but it may be next season.
#78 - Jackson Lloyd (6’ 7’’/318, Carmel, CA) - This high 4-star received an abundance of buzz during spring practice. Both he and Carroll could see a good amount of playing time this fall.
#65 - Micah DeBose (6’ 5’’/319, Mobile, AL) - Good prospect but likely redshirt.
#52 - Mal Waldrep (6’ 5’’ 324, Seale, AL) - Redshirt.

WAY TOO EARLY DEPTH CHART

The returning guys make this task a little easier on me this year. Thus, I will be bold and go a little deeper. VanDeMark is likely the first guy off the bench at any of the three interior line positions. The same goes for Alinen at tackle - at least for the first part of the season.

LT - Proctor - Alinen - Carroll
LG - Dewberry - VanDeMark - Sanders
C - Brailsford - VanDeMark - Montgomery
RG - Roberts - VanDeMark - Poe
RT - Formby - Alinen - Lloyd - Anugwom

Share your depth chart in comments below.